One More
by selenicsoulmates
Summary: "Just give me one more night, my love." Makorra, post-book 2 finale.


**A.N: I'm dying.**

* * *

The knock on his door at such a late hour is surprising, quickly drawing his attention away from the stack of reports Beifong recently assigned him.

Mako rubs his eyes before looking at the clock on the wall across the way: eleven forty two; almost midnight. He rises from the couch and goes to the door while stretching his unused and tender arm muscles.

His brows raise when he opens the door to Korra, looking down at the floorboards with her fist raised to knock again. Her head shoots up to meet his gaze, both seemingly surprised.

Tension grows as expected, and Mako speaks in it with a quiet "Hey."

"Hi," she replies, crossing her arms almost defensively. "Did I wake you?"

Mako opens the door wider for her, signaling that she can come inside. She does, stepping into the apartment in a way Mako no longer recognizes. She walks as if a stranger, looking around his home as if she hadn't spent countless nights here with him. "No, I was just doing some paperwork."

"Oh."

Mako closes the door and shoves his hands in his pockets. He walks over toward her, but keeps his distance. Making sure not be close enough to get lost into bright blue all over again. He's been doing well at keeping his distance for the past two weeks, noting that this was actually the first time she and him were alone together.

It's quiet again, air thick and unwelcoming, Mako unsure of what to say, what to do. Korra isn't even looking at him, and he wants to ask what she wants so she could leave before he feels the undeniable urge to do the things he used to with her. He's just about to until Korra speaks.

"Are you mad at me?" Korra's voice is light and almost breaking, avoiding his gaze to look over at his stove.

"What?" Mako asks, flabbergasted. "Why would I be-"

"Than why are you ignoring me?" Her head whips back to face his, her wolftails following. "You haven't talked to me at all since we got back to the city." Her voice cracks and he hears the desperation in it.

It's true, though. He's avoided trips to Air Temple Island with Bolin, ditched out on lunch invitations with Team Avatar, and buried his nose to the grime in paperwork. He knows why, but he knows why she wouldn't. Naïve to the ideas of love, just as he is.

"Korra, I didn't mean-"

"Do you hate me?"

"Wh- No!" He moves to grab her hand. "Korra, I could never hate you."

She roughly rips her hand away, looking angrily up at him.

"Than why are you avoiding me?" She demands.

He swallows thickly, looking down at the glaring watertripe girl, her bright blue eyes showing signs of tears. He doesn't want her to cry, not because of him. Not again.

The air's thick, Mako trying to search for words that he can't find, while Korra's aura breaks. It's swift, and Mako remembers nostalgically to months prior, as Korra's anger lessens to become frantic and careless before moving in and kissing him fiercely on the lips.

The sparks are still there, still as strong. The kiss is needy and messy but oh, have they missed it. Missed each other. Mako only begins to kiss back when Korra pulls away, eyes wide and mouth set ajar.

"I'm sorry. That was a mistake. I should-," She shakes her head agitatedly and turns to leave. "I should go."

His hand grabs hers again and pulls her back to him, wrapping her up in his arms. She stiffens, going rigid against his chest.

"I don't know what to do, Korra," His voice is muffled, burying his face in the thickness of her brown hair. He tightens his hold on her, afraid she'll let go at any moment. "I don't know where I fit anymore."

He pulls away only to look down at her, her expression distraught, mirroring his own.

"I love you so much," his words tightened in his throat, almost choking him. "I love you, and I want to be with you."

She shakes her head expeditiously, shutting her eyes to hold back impending tears. She loves him too, she always will. She wants this, but remembers her duties, remembers his. Remembers their mistakes and their fights and their decisions and _them_. The memories clasp together and leave an ache in her chest she can't seem to avoid whenever she so much as thinks of Mako.

"We can't. We don't work," she says, voice cracking. "We can't do this."

"One more night," he begs, cupping her face and bringing it closer to his. His lips ghost over hers for a few moments before capturing her familiar taste. She kisses back with a fever, gripping his worn tank top in her small, yet powerful hands. "One more night," he repeats the mantra. "Please, Korra."

A hand moves from his chest to his cheek, her thumb caressing the soft skin. His hand reaches up to hold hers, desperate to hold on to her soft touch.

"One more," she whispers, kissing him again.

She stays curled in his arms until she sees the sun just barely peak in from the curtains of his bedroom window. She turns in his embrace, facing the still-sleeping firebender. A soft smile graces her features when she takes in his resting form. He looks peaceful; the skin under his eyes looking calm and relaxed instead of stressed and unnerved, his lips still slightly swollen from overuse.

She presses her own lips to his once more before slipping out of his arms discreetly. She notes Mako's light smile vanishes from her absence, but he does not wake. Morning comes slowly as she reaches over and runs her fingers over his dark, matted hair, savoring the moment, _him_, as long as she can.

When the night finally ends, she is gone.


End file.
